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How to Prepare and Cook Delicious Eye Fillet Steaks

December 15, 2016.

Eye fillet, also known as fillet steak, beef fillet and beef tenderloin, is one of the best quality and most premium cuts of beef available. And guess what? You don’t need to be a chef to cook it to perfection! Eye fillet steak is lean, fork-tender and very healthy. It is also highly versatile – you can roast it whole, slice it into thin steaks or wrap it in bacon to create a world class fillet mignon. In this post, we’re focusing on how to make delicious eye fillet steaks.

How to Prepare Eye Fillet Steak

The first thing you need to do with your eye fillet is lay it out on a cutting board and remove any excess fat. Once you have done this, you need to use a sharp knife to remove the ‘silverskin’ (the white and silvery coloured connective tissue you can see on the outside of the tenderloin). When removing the silverskin, make sure that you cut away from yourself and keep the blade as flat as possible when stripping underneath the connective tissue. Once you’ve removed the fat and the silverskin, you have a prime cut of eye fillet on your hands! Now all you need to do is cut the beef into slices (about 2-4 centimetres in thickness) and you are ready to get grilling. An average beef tenderloin will make about 12-14 steaks.

How to Cook Eye Fillet Steaks

Once you have sliced the fillet into steak portions, coat the steaks with some salt, pepper and a light splash of oil. Make sure that your steaks are at room temperature when you are ready to cook them (i.e. take them out of the fridge approximately 1 hour before cooking), as this will ensure succulent texture.

When you’re ready to start cooking, heat the frying pan on high until it is hot and add some oil. Once the oil is hot, place the steaks in the pan (if the steaks don’t sizzle when they hit the pan, it isn’t yet hot enough). Reduce the heat to medium. Leave the steaks on one side (without touching them or prodding them) for 4-5 minutes. Turn them over with a pair of tongs and leave for another 5 minutes. Make sure that you only turn your steak once, as this will preserve the flavours. When ready, the outside of the steak should be brown and crisp.

To test your steaks for doneness, you need to press them gently with the tip of the tongs (or your finger). Rare should be soft to touch, well done should be firm and medium should be in between the two. Take the steaks off the heat and let them rest for 8-10 minutes before serving, as this relaxes the tissues and ensures juiciness and tenderness.

Using a Thermometer?

Using a thermometer is a great way to ensure perfectly cooked steaks and roasts, every time. When your meat is done the internal temperature of the meat will be:

Rare 60ºC

Medium rare 60-65ºC

Medium 65-70ºC

Medium well done 70ºC

Well done 75ºC

And there you have it! Delicious eye fillet steaks! Why not invite some friends round and show them your new steak cooking skills?